August 2002
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WIGWAM |
DEEP SEA SWIMMERS |
DAVID BOWIE |
FLAMING LIPS |
JETHRO TULL |
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YES Symphonic Live (Eaglevision) Going all the way back to their 1969 self-tiled debut album, Yes were always most highly regarded as a studio band. The fact that they were also among the first of the post-Beatles prog-rockers who could actually perform their albums live, took nothing away from the expert musical craftsmanship that permeated albums like The Yes Album, Time & A Word, Fragile and Topographic Oceans. Many years and many albums later, Yes are still at it in a big way, having released some excellent albums over the past over the past five decades and especially over the past five years. A fitting document of the groups 2001 orchestral world tour, Yes Symphonic Live blends all the best aspects of the groups live show within the context of a greatest hits video. Recorded live in Amsterdam on 11/21 & 22, 2001, the groups recent double disc DVD on NYC-based Eagle Eye Media is clearly the groups best live document to date. While the group were on tour promoting their groundbreaking 2001 album Magnification, theres only three tracks from that album with the bulk of the classic materialwith the exception being Owner Of A Lonely Heartdating back to the 70s. Backed by The European Festival OrchestraAlan White, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and Steve Howe bring the best of Yes to life once again on Symphonic Live. For the DVD, Yes are assisted by keyboardist Tom Brislin, who revives some of the brilliant keyboard parts once performed by big names like Pat Moraz, Rick Wakeman and Tony Kaye. While its disappointing that theres nothing from recent Yes album like The Ladder and Open Your Eyes and nothing music from any of their recent solo albums, its also easy to admit that Symphonic Live not only sounds great, but its a total pleasure to watch. The state of the art filming of the entire show was incredibly well thought out and theres even a second discapart from the concert DVDdocumenting the concert entitled Dreamtime and a bonus video of the Magnification track Dont Go. For the tail end of the 60s, for much of the 70s and for the past 20 years, Yes have withstood all kinds of musical changes and have come out better for it all. Watching the group perform Yes classics like Close To The Edge, Ritual and Ive Seen All Good Peoplebacked up by a full fledged orchestra on Symphonic Liveis a watershed moment in the history of a group that clearly knows no creative limits. www.eaglevisionusa.com
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WIGWAM Titans Wheel (EMI / HARVEST) Long a favorite among progressive rock and pop fans in the know, Wigwam are best remembered for their 1975 album Nuclear Nightclub, which was released in Finland on Love Records and in England on Virgin Records. Led by U.K. singer-songwriter Jim Pembroke, Wigwam were the biggest band in Finland from the late 60s through most of the 70s. They reformed for a fantastic album in 92, entitled Light Ages, and now ten years after they rise again for a fantastic studio album called Titans Wheel, released in Finland on EMI / Harvest Records. Pembroke has written some incredible new tracks for the album and hes joined by long time Wigwam members including the outstanding guitarist Pekka Rekku Rechardtco-writer of many of Wigwams best songs. Over the years, Wigwam have often been compared to music legends like The Band, Procol Harum, Warren Zevon and The Beatles and they prove their excellence yet again on their monumental 2002 masterpiece Titans Wheel. Filled with catchy rock riffs, Pembrokes stirring vocals, amazing rock guitar work from Rechardt and a great performance by everyone, Titans Wheel is an admirable CD, an album to keep for the ages. http://members.surfeu.fi/mmerilai/wigwam
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DEEP SEA SWIMMERS Deep Sea Swimmers (Teetering) For discriminating pop fans, the new self-titled CD from Atlanta-based Deep Sea Swimmers is a bonanza. Sounding like a cross between R.E.M., Beck and mid-period Genesis, the album just blows you away with one song after the next. The group obviously knows how to craft a solid pop hook and on their new albumwritten by lead singer Mark Henderson and his brother and group producer / guitarist Robert Hendersontheres plenty of rock solid vibes to go all the way around. Assisted by Chad Paetznick (drums), DSS scale new heights. The Deep Sea Swimmers CDreleased on the groups own Teetering Recordsis one of the best new outings of the 2000s. www.deepseaswimmers.com
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DAVID BOWIE Heathen (Columbia) 33 years after Ground Control To Major Tom, made its big splash on FM radio, during the summer of 69, David Bowie is back again with his 2002 opus, Heathen. The first of a multi-record deal on his self-owned ISO imprint, via Columbia Records, Heathen is filled with a number of Bowie jewels, reflecting all those changes hes made over the past five decades. For Heathen, Bowie reunites with long time producer and band-mate Tony Visconti, while his new band features Visconti on bass along with guitarists David Torn, Carlos Alomar, Tony Levin (bass) with a special appearance by the great Pete Townshend. Matt Chamberlain handles the drums while Bowie and Visconti conjure up a wide palette of bizarre and often evocative soundscapes on a myriad of instruments. Musically, its a pretty mixed bag, vaguely directionless in the spirit of Bowies 76 classic Station To Station. Songwise, new tracks like Afraid, Everyone Says Hi, Better Future and the brilliant set-closer Heathen (The Rays) will soon be considered Bowie classics. Also of note are new Bowie covers of Frank Blacks Cactus and the Neil Young jewel Ive Been Waiting For Youpossibly Heathens highlight. Ultra bizarre cover art, no lyric sheet (?), but in summation, Heathen is a fine Bowie album worthy of repeat spins. www.davidbowie.com
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FLAMING LIPS Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros.) Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne affectionately describes his band as a kinda cross between The BeeGees and The Butthole Surfers. That vibrant sense of vintage 60s pop meets trendy post-punk adventurism comes sharply into focus on the Lips best album ever. A magnificent masterpiece of 21st Century pop psychedelia, Yoshimi skirts around a hi-brow Japanese sci-fi fantasy storyline, but the songs are so catchy and the production and playing is so well attuned that you just sort of get swept away amid the fun. On Yoshimi the Lips sound very much like the Upstate, N.Y.-based Mercury Reva group that features former Lips member Jon Donahue and Dave Fridmann, whose co-songwriting and production on Yoshimi further elevates the entire album. The current Flaming Lips line-up of singer-guitarist Wayne Coyne, multi-instrumentalist / drummer Steven Drozd and bassist Michael Ivins really hit their stride with their latest and most far-out effort yet. www.flaminglips.com
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JETHRO
TULL Living With The Past (Fuel 2000) Having performed over 3000 concerts since their 1968 breakthrough album This Was, Ian Anderson and the many fine players whove been in and out of Jethro Tull over the years remain living legends. Tulls long awaited DVD on L.A.-based Fuel 2000 captures the current band in fine form at recent live shows including a November 25, 2001 appearance in London. For Living With The Past, Anderson and company perform all their big hits and more on this expertly filmed and recorded DVD. For long time Tull fans the big surprise will be a January 2002 filmed reunion of the very first Tull lineupIan Anderson, guitar legend Mick Abrahams, Glenn Cornick (bass) and Clive Bunker (drums)performing tracks from This Was. Theres also an acoustic session with Anderson performing tracks like Lifes A Long Song supported by a string quartet. The full color 12 page bookletwith current photos and 1,870 words penned by Andersoncasts the Tull tale in yet a new light. www.jethrotull.com
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